You're Not Sorry
by reikanobutushi
Summary: Halle and Mello and their relationship throughout Death Note. HallexMello, and a bit of HallexGevanni.
1. Beginning

Author's Comment: While these are labeled as "drabbles" (or short stories), they actually follow a main storyline. Like small chapters. Sorry, I was… kinda tired when I thought about this XD.

Drabble #1: Meeting

Halle Lidner came to her apartment building to find the door to her apartment on the sixth floor was open. Wide open.

Halle reached for her gun, which wasn't there.

Halle quickly peeked into her obviously broken into apartment. The lights were off, and Halle knew from training that this is dangerous. Must be a burglar. She hesitated on whether to go inside or to call the police.

She chose the latter. Besides, she had to kick the-person-that-broke-into-her-house's ass. Halle walked inside.

Instantly Halle could see a white square of light resting on where her coffee table normally is. The square of light cast a shadow, and Halle saw a gloved hand typing on something.

That something was Halle's laptop. The square of light was the monitor, Halle realized.

Halle slapped the wall a couple of times before she successfully turned on the lights.

A boy with blond hair cut in a bob style was sitting on her couch. He immediately looked at Halle, showing his full face.

He had a menacing eyes and a scowl on his face, like he wanted the lights off.

Halle right away recognized him though. He was … Mello. That same Mello in a picture that Near showed the remaining SPK members after the others were killed off by the Death Note.

Halle and Mello stared at each other with disdain and curiosity.

"…Why are you here?" Halle finally asked. It was always wise to remain calm and collected. After all, Near is like that all the time, and he wasn't threatened or killed – yet.

Mello scowled a deeper scowl. He slammed Halle's laptop closed, and Halle had to fight a deep urge to scream at the teenager to respect other's private property.

"Are you Halle Bullock?" He asked back, almost in a daring don't-screw-with-me type of voice.

Halle flinched at having her true name said. She changed her name a long time ago to protect her family and herself.

"Yes." _Stay calm, Halle,_ She told herself in her head.

Mello stood up with urgency and took out a gun from his jacked pocked and pointed it at her before she had time to react. This man was quick.

"What the hell do you want?" Halle said with an inch of annoyance.

Mello looked at her and smiled. Or was that a smirk? He lowered his aim and plopped down on the couch again.

"What I want? I want you to tell me what Near does all day at his 'secret base'" Mello snickered. "I want to know what he says, what he thinks… I want to know what he's basically doing concerning the Kira case."

"You can just go over to our headquarters and ask him." Halle said with her voice dipped in sarcasm.

Mello scowled at her again. "No fucking way. Near is a big-" Halle blocked out his cursing in her mind. She did not tolerate wasted words. "-And he wouldn't tell me anyway."

"How can you be so sure?" It was Halle's turn to dare Mello now.

"Because we both lived at Wammy's House – oh just stop your damn questions already! I need you to tell me every week what Near plans to do, got it?"

"Or else?"

Mello smiled a deep, evil smile. Definitely not a smirk this time. He picked up a black notebook off the table and waved it. "If you don't do what I say, your name will be in this Death Note."

Halle now felt cornered. This boy – this boy that looked so playful in the picture Near showed her but now looks menacing – knew how to manipulate people obviously, how to control them. Like puppets.

Whether Mello was going to sue Near's information for catching Kira or not mattered to Halle, but she didn't have time to think about that. Either she was going to follow Mello's orders or she would die.

"…Fine. I would do what you asked. Just don't turn on me when this is all over." Came Halle's answer.

"Hunh. Good." Mello smirked at her as he passed her on the way to her doorway.

Halle almost slammed the door behind him and heaved a heavy sigh.

Just to do what he asks, to answer his questions… that was all that Halle would do. Nothing else.

And that's how it began.

#2: Glare

"Halle, please forgive me…" Gevanni pleaded on the phone the minute Halle picked it up. He was unavoidable when it came to calling her apartment phone number – Halle's apartment phone didn't have caller ID.

"I can't, Stephan, I can't…" Halle used to call Gevanni "Steph" but now she called him by his full first name. In her mind though, Stephan was always "Gevanni" – his last name.

"Please? Just please forget I ever called you that!" Stephan begged, referencing to two hours ago where he called her a bitch.

"No, Stephan."

"Hey – what happened to the 'Steph'? I thought we had something…

"We don't anymore." Halle hung up.

"Geez you're so cruel to men," a voice chuckled behind her. Halle whizzed around to see Mello at her kitchen table, his legs propped on the edge.

"How long were you here?"

"Quite a while now…"

Halle picked up a file folder from her kitchen table and threw it to Mello. He took it with indifference. "I gave you information; now scat." But Mello continued to read the file at her table, his legs still propped on the table.

Halle sighed. As Mello read the file, Halle continued to do what she was doing before Gevanni called – preparing dinner for herself.

"Hmm… So Near has been communicating with a second L…" Mello muttered to himself.

Halle didn't continue on Mello's train of thoughts, like always. This was the fifth time Mello was in her apartment, and all Halle was committed to doing was giving him Near's information and thoughts on the Kira case.

Halle set a plate for herself at the kitchen table and saw that Mello finished reading the file that she gave him, and was now biting off a piece of chocolate.

"How long are you going to be here?" Halle asked Mello, the irritancy obvious in her voice.

Mello simply chewed on his chocolate while staring at her, and Halle had to ask; "Is chocolate all you ever eat?"

"Of course not!" Mello snapped.

"Prove it." Halle dared. She needed something to get her mind off of Gevanni. Even if it was daring a mafia member who probably didn't legally fly here into America.

"All right. I'll eat whatever shit you're making for dinner, as long as it doesn't poison me."

"Fine," Halle turned back to the stove. The "shit" she was making was pasta. Halle was preparing her mind for the worst. She learned that Mello liked to make snide comments about everything, and Halle knew her cooking skills were about to be butchered.

Soon the curly noodles were ready, and she served herself first as a sign of dominance before filling Mello's plate.

Mello smirked right back as he picked up his fork.

"What would you like to drink?" Halle asked Mello in a fake sweet voice.

"Oh, Coffee please." Mello replied in a similar manner. His European accent came out when he was rude, she noticed.

Halle made a wry face at Mello. "Coffee? At this hour?"

"That's what I said."

"…" Halle took out cups for both her and Mello. _She _was going to have lemonade. Then she went back to her counter where her coffee maker was at and started making coffee. Behind her, Mello ate his pasta slowly; making sure the fork clicked the plate each time he picked up a piece. She knew that he was trying to piss her off.

"So… who exactly is this Stephan guy? Your ex?" Halle could just hear Mello smirking as he said this.

Damn him.

"None of your business," She said simply.

"It may not, but there isn't exactly any suitable table conversation to talk about, since you already gave me information about what Near was doing."

"Well I _don't want _to tell you," Halle said. "Besides, you're just using me. We may be working toward the same goal, but I'm not with you in anything."

Mello scowled. "You screw around too much…"

"But not as much as you do." Halle snapped in return.

They ate the rest of their dinner glaring at each other.

#3: Nicknames

Mello started coughing the minute he stepped into Matt's apartment. A hazy fog made it hard for him to even see the redhead.

"Matt stop smoking! I'm going to die from second-hand if you don't!"

He found Matt in his bedroom, sitting on the side of his bed, playing his DS.

"He's not even listening to me," Mello muttered angrily to himself.

"Matt!" Mello practically yelled at Matt.

"What? Oh no – oh GREAT! Mario just died because of you!" Matt was angry now. But Mello didn't' care.

"Matt. I need you to analyze this information to make sure Near or any of his conversations with others have any secret information in them."

"Ok, Ok, I'll do it later…" Matt was still fuming.

Mello just rolled his eyes at the stupidity of Matt's obsession and went into the living room where he slept. Not that Mello ever did. He was scared of the nightmares sleep would bring him. Mello plopped down on the sofa – Hal's sofa was much more softer – and he turned on the TV to a news channel.

Wait, Wait. Did Mello just call Halle "Hal"?

But it was normal – to give people nicknames, right?

After all, when you're thinking about someone, it would be extremely tiring to saw a two-syllable name like "Halle". Too tiring. When Mello thinks, he doesn't want to waste his thinking time on useless syllables of things and people.

Not that Mello would ever think of Halle.

#4: Gevanni

"Halle – wait!" Gevanni caught up to Halle on her way to the SPK headquarters.

"What, Gev - Stephan." Halle sighed in impatience.

"I just wanted to say I'm really sorry about what I called you! Please forgive me…" Gevanni was looking down in a begging way. Halle knew that gesture. Whenever men wanted Halle back they always lied that they loved her. After all, you couldn't lose the sexiest woman in the world.

Halle knew she was beautiful. A man, her parents, her sister, everyone always gawked at her in envy and talked about how beautiful she was. "Sis, if you curled your hair and but a black dot on your upper lip, you could be Marilyn Monroe!" Halle's sister always squeaked. But yet when Halle looked into her mirror, she saw many flaws. So – many – flaws. Her eyes were too narrowed, they weren't blue (it was light brown – the color of mud after a fresh rain shower), her hair was too straight, it had too many split ends, and her face was too heart shaped – Halle could find a flaw with every part of her body and personality.

"I already told you, Stephan. I won't." Halle declared defiantly as she passed through the doors of the building where the SPK headquarters were located.

"Aw come on…" Gevanni still wouldn't look at Halle in the eye, and Halle wanted him too. Heck, she wanted all men to look her in the eye instead of looking someplace else…

Halle walked quickly into an empty elevator and pressed a button to shut the sliding door before Gevanni came in.

"No wai-" The door shut, leaving Halle alone with her own thoughts.

Maybe Halle would forgive a man for once. But her relationship with Gevanni was never working out from the beginning anyway. Halle and Gevanni didn't even know each other's real names. They didn't really know anything about each other.

The elevator door slid open, and Halle stepped out. Gevanni wasn't there waiting for her, thank god. He's probably taking the stairs right now.

Halle took a deep breath and walked down the hallway to the double doors of the SPK Headquarters.

"Halle," Rester greeted Halle with a smile. Halle smiled back. Rester was one of the few men that didn't pursue her. Halle liked that there was someone that did not want her.

"Good Morning Rester, Near…" Halle looked at Near, who was sitting in a chair, playing with a dart. He was so childish, in a different way than Mello. Always playing with toys, (like Mello played with gun and people) and sitting with his knees up to his chest was a position Halle often saw Near in.

"Lidner," Near said, ignoring her greeting. "About the President's death-"

"Halle! I-" Gevanni slammed the door open, almost running in.

Rester, Halle, and Near all looked at Gevanni. Near narrowed his dead-like eyes at Gevanni in annoyance. His shoulders slumped, Gevanni muttered sorry and sat down in his usual spot.

"About the President's death…" Near continued.

#5: Scared

Mello ran upstairs in his base to a secret behind two wooden doors. "Shit, shit, shit, shit, _shit_!" Mello murmured through clenched teeth, holding his chocolate with his mouth.. The Japanese Task Force just found the Mafia's base.

Mello locked the door behind him and went to the multiple monitors standing on an old desk. Dead bodies were scattered around him, like Near's toys in his room at Wammy's House, and_ fuck, _why was Mello thinking about Near at a time like this? It was like his memories were flashing before his fucking eyes like in a movie.

He took a bite out of chocolate and chewed as he watched the Japanese Task Force kill two more of Mello's Mafia underlings and take the Death Note. Mello sighed and took a bomb detonator and pressed a button. Immediately one of the monitors flicked off.

Another monitor showed the Japanese Task Force run out of the room to the nearest door outside of the room they came out of: the doors to the room that Mello was in.

After another bite of chocolate. Mello turned on a speaker. "I've exploded the two doorways. You can't get out easily." He said calmly to the Japanese Task Force through a microphone. He sat on the desk, looking deeper into the monitor.

"This one was just a threat, but next I'll blow up the whole hideout. I'm watching your actions through monitoring cameras. If you don't want to be blown up, follow my directions." Mello had it all planned out now. He smirked and took another bite out of his chocolate.

"My first order is to break the cameras on your helmets. All of you."

He saw them look at each other in hesitation – _Are they being directed by someone even now? And can that someone hear what I'm saying? – _Then took off their cameras.

"Throw down all your weapons and give the notebook to someone, then stand back."

They followed Mello's orders.

"Alrighty, come to the door with the notebook then take your helmet off,"

The person that was holding the Death Note took off his helmet.

It was Yagami, the Father of Sayu Yagami.

_Aw, fuck._

_"How come you're so mean all the time? Can't you do things in a nonviolence way?"_ Mello remembered Sayu telling him, before he threw her into a room alone with other mafia members. Her pure words killed him. Mello hated Sayu for that. He'll never be "good".

_Being bad is good enough, _Mello thought as he let Yagami in and closed the door behind him with a press of a button.

Ten minutes later, Mello clicked another button.

This time, the button was part of a bomb switch.

#5.5: Matt

"Hello?"

"Is Mels there?"

"Who is this?"

"No one. Is Mello there?"

"…no, why?"

"Oh ok… sorry for calling, Ms. Bullock."

Click.


	2. Sadist

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews thus far! :D It means a lot!**Drabble #6: Fallen Blue

Halle had to take a bath when she got home. Bathing always helped her think. She took off her blazer and high-heeled shoes with a sigh of relief. No more work! Freedom for the rest of the day!

She didn't bother to turn on the lights in her apartment. Halle was trained to be accustomed to the dark.

That morning, Halle received a strange call from someone that asked for Mello. This didn't bother her (Annoying, she just thought).

But at work, Gevanni tried to win her back with flowers. It was so corny she almost felt sorry for him. Almost. Walking home, she threw them into a garbage truck driving past her.

Bang Bang

A loud knock at the door. Must be Rester. He said he wanted to talk to her, after all. Halle walked over to the door in her stocking feet and opened it.

Mello almost immediately fell to the floor the minute she opened the door. He was leaning on it, and Halle could see a bloody imprint on it.

"What – Mello…? Mello, get up! Mello!" Halle was shocked. Mello started dragging himself to her couch, leaving a trail of blood behind him. Halle closed the door, making the room completely dark. She heard him knock his head against her coffee table, followed by a slurred curse.

"Mello, don't …" Halle found his left arm and helped him up and took him to her guest room. She felt sticky blood trailing onto her work shirt.

The guest room was dark and gloomy due to the closed shades on the one small window. Mello collapsed on the bed, holding his face. His whole body seemed to be badly injured. Halle started opening the shades so that she could see the extent of the damage, when he shouted at her in a husky voice, "Don't open them!"

Halle jumped back from the windows in surprise at his voice. Mello sighed and looked at her with his one uncovered eye. Even through the dark, Halle could see those hypnotizing, menacing blue eyes. They looked broken, as a smashed light bulb might look.

"I-I'll get some bandages…" Halle backpedaled out of the guest room.

She may be acting on the Hippocratic oath, but he abused her verbally, eavesdropped on her conversations with her ex, manipulated her to give him information that probably wasn't helping to catch Kira…

Why was Halle helping him?

**#7: Memory**

Mello fell asleep before Halle came back. His nightmares, unlike every other humans, contained memories.

He had a few good dreams though. But they were memories that he didn't bother to remember – until now.

_Mello liked Halle's coffee. Once, when he came to her apartment, he just came to drink her coffee._

_"Your coffee takes good." Mello said on his seventh visit, the afternoon after the President was "assassinated". Before he came to her apartment bleeding._

_"Excuse me?" Halle was irritated enough that Mello came without notice, and that she had to make him coffee._

_Mello groaned in annoyance._

_"I haven't had coffee in a long time… in the Mafia those idiots only drink Tequila and shit like that…"_

_"…." Halle couldn't stand Mello's cursing, and he knew it. He saw her cringe._

_"Well, why did you join the mafia in the first place?" She leaned her elbows against the table._

_Mello just glared into Halle's eyes. They were a smooth, milky shade of brown. He never looked at other people's eyes – he was proud of his own blue eyes that others would have killed for. But her eyes were unique, as contrived as that word was. They weren't dirt brown, or the odd shade of green-hazel that irritated him to look at. No, her eyes were beautiful._

_"Stop." Halle suddenly snapped at Mello. She stood up and walked to her kitchen counter. He cocked an eyebrow in confusion. _

_"What?" He asked._

_"Stop staring in the eye. It bothers me."_

_Halle had her back facing Mello, her nails scratching at the edge of the counter. He could tell that she wanted Mello to leave now._

_"Halle," Mello didn't like the silence. He didn't like how Halle had her back facing him. Perhaps it reminded him of the teacher's backs, of Roger's back, of Watari's back. Of everyone that ever doubted him. _

_"I joined the Mafia because they knew how to make people do what they want." Mello answered Halle's question."I couldn't do anything on my own when I escaped from that damn orphanage…"_

_"Hmm?" Halle sniffed and turned her head a little to look at Mello in surprise that he actually answered her._

_Mello looked at her, tilting his head to one side, and said, "Why are you crying?"_

_"I-I'm not crying." Halle protested. But she was, for a reason that Mello somehow wished he could understand._

_"Why do you always wear a rosary…?" Halle asked, her voice shaky._

_"I wear it because I'm Catholic." Mello quickly answered, hoping that she would stop crying. Damn, how he hated it when people cried! It reminded him of himself, and everyone that was weak. Halle wasn't weak. She didn't scream when he introduced himself to, unlike other (male) SPK members. And she wasn't weak now. She didn't admit defeat by wiping her tears – they just seemed to disappear. Mello admired that._

_"Really? I don't see a lot of Catholics joining the Mafia or kill and threaten innocent people…" Halle snapped at Mello. Her anger was coming out, now that her tears were spent._

_"You? Innocent? The SPK is an illegal organization as of the President's death under the power of an albino midget that plays with Transformers. Not exactly innocent." Mello shot back, his sympathy and admiration now also spent._

_"And this coming from a top member of the Mafia? A burglar looks like a kitten besides you." Halle laughed._

_"Thanks for the compliment," Mello smirked._

"_That's what your twisted, evil conscience is thinking." Halle said. _

"_I don't have one." Mello simply replied, his voice full of regrets._

**#8: Hal**

Mello was unpredictable.

One moment he was laughing and the next he would be shouting at you. Halle knew Mello as always being one emotion: angry.

Always glaring, always demanding, always watching. Mello always acted like humanity wronged him.

It was one of his bad days. Before he came to her apartment bloody and on the verge of death.

Halle just got out of her shower, changed into her pajamas, and walked into her bedroom.

Halle's bedroom was neat, and Halle liked it that way. Everything had its own place in her room.

Unlike her, in her family.

That was one of the reasons she left. Her mother always favored her younger sister over her the minute she was born. As a result, Halle was always cold to her sibling. And as a bigger result, she became the heartless outcast. The minute she graduated high school, Halle took a plane to Washington D.C. at the recommendation of one of her teachers. He said that there were job opportunities for someone with her "endurance".

Halle suddenly heard the door slam open, heavy footsteps, and a hard, cold object was held against the back of her head. She knew what the object was and who the holder was.

"Mello."

"I know you're not telling me something, Hal. About the President's death. About Kira."

Did he just say…?

"Did you just call me 'Hal'?"

Halle turned around.

Mello's face was like an open book for once. He did call Halle "Hal" just now.

"Why would I… call you Hal?" Mello said.

"But I heard you. You just called me 'Hal'"

"Then you heard wrong."

"No, I didn't. You forgot to say the 'Lee' part of my name."

"No."

"Yes you did."

"No I didn't."

"Yes you did!"

"Just shut up about that and tell me!" Mello pressed the gun deeper into Halle's scalp. "Or I swear to fucking Kira's grave that I will shoot yo-"

"No you won't," Halle wasn't confident, she wasn't being cocky she was stating a fact. Halle knew Mello would never pull the trigger on her. He would have done so sooner if he were able to.

"How can you be so sure?"

"You would have shot me way before."

"Are you underestimating my patience?"

"No, I'm not."

"…" Mello lifted the gun off of Halle's head. He looked deeply into her eyes before muttering something about "coming back later" then stomping out of the room.

Halle heard Mello angrily slam her apartment door closed.

Mello can manipulate people, he can rid them off if he liked, but he doubted himself. That fact, Halle realized, caused all of his problems and moods.

**#8.5: Prayer**

The minute Mello pressed the button on the bomb switch, he both regretted it and felt free. A bright light, faster than time itself, blinded him. He turned away just as it blew him against the wall.

Then there was the abominable pain all over his body."Oh _shit…"_

Mello had to escape before the smoke and fire clear away and the Japanese Task Force (_What a fucking stupid name. A "task" force? What the hell do they do? Clean dishes?) _Finds him and kills him. Mello staggered, coughing, through a secret back door, then started to run until he was far from the rumble of the Mafia hideout. There were trees (_Dead probably)_ all around him. He ran out of strength and leaned against a tree, breathing heavily. He reached for his rosary, which was always there…

But it wasn't there. _What the fuck?_

It probably blew away in the explosion. Mello suddenly felt alone and lost. That rosary was his mother's, and it was the only thing he was allowed to bring with him to Wammy's. That rosary reminded him of the supposed life that he would had have if his mother didn't die. That rosary was like a lifeline to him, being the only thing to be there for him.

And now it was gone.

_What do I do now? Where does Mello go now?_ Mello thought. He felt numb, the blood was just a drip drop sound to him; and he started to walk to an abandoned car from one of the Mafia members.

He had to be strong – it was the only way to survive. But his methods were slipping.

**#9: Rester**

It was late afternoon when Halle checked on Mello for the thousandth time.

He was curled up in the fetal position under the cover, his hand still covering one side of his face. He refused earlier when Halle offered to bandage him with her first aid kit.

"I can take care of myself." Was his excuse.

No, you can't, Halle thought now as she walked closer to him. Halle first thought was that Mello had died when she got an arm's length away from him, but the small rising and falling of his body under the covers assured her that he was alive.

Halle will need new bed sheets after this. Mello's bloodstained the sheets, and the floor.

She leaned down next to him. She gently took his hand off his face -

_Knock, knock._

That was right – Rester was coming over today.

Halle quickly ran out of the guest room, forgetting about Mello, to the front door and opened it.

"Hey Rester," She put on her people smile as Rester, the big humble man, smiled back at her. "Hey Halle," He greeted her. He stepped inside, and almost jumped back in surprise.

"Why is there blood on your floor?" He said, almost as if he didn't want to know the answer. That's when Halle remembered the deep, dark stains.

"Well… I kind of… hit a cat with a cooking pan."

"How did a cat get in here?"

"Really, I have no idea! I just saw it roaming around earlier, so I quickly took out my frying pan and hit it."

"Did you kill it?"

"Unfortunately not." Halle said. "It just kept on yelling and trying to scratch me… I got annoyed by it and threw it out the guest room window."

Double entendres. Halle loved them.

"Oh… that explains the blood trail to the guest room…" Rester looked behind Halle, and she immediately started to usher him towards the kitchen.

"I didn't' start making the coffee yet, sorry…" She half-heartedly laughed, changing the subject. Rester sat down at the kitchen table. "That's all right; you can make hot chocolate." Said Rester.

"That's fine… so Rester… why did you want to come here today?"

"Stephan kind of pressured me into coming here…"

"Did he tell you to come here to convince me to get back together with him?"

"Exactly. So Halle…"

"I'm not getting back with Gevanni." Halle quickly said.

"Halle, he's a mess without you." Rester said. He watched Halle put a cup of water in the microwave and set it to two minutes.

"If he can live without me before he even met me, he can live without me after we've broke up."

"It doesn't work that way with some people, Halle."

The microwave let off a loud beep and she took out a steaming measuring cup of water out of the microwave. She poured the water into the two cups, and pushed one towards Rester.

Rester thanked Halle with the nod of his head before sipping his hot chocolate. "Halle, why don't you take a break for a while?"

"Why should I?"

"it's obvious this Kira case is taking a toll on you. You should ask Near for a break. It would do you some good."

"I can't. I have bills to pay, and I _want _to help solve this case."

"It's just a break. Even just a day." Rester's cell phone rang then. He looked at Halle with a apologetic look and picked his cell phone out of his pocket and opened it. "Hello…Yeah. He did? Oh… I'll be over there in a minute…" He flipped his cell phone closed.

"Family duty calls." He smiled and stood up. "Thanks for the hot chocolate, Halle."

"No problem." Halle smiled a very weak smile.

Rester walked towards the door and Halle opened the door for him.

When the door was closed, Mello came out of the guest room, snickering.

"Gee, didn't know you were so cold, Hal – Halle…!" Mello almost tripped but quickly composed himself.

That name again. Hal.

"Mello! Are you some sort of sadist? I'm here worried about you and you wouldn't even let me bandage up your wounds!"

"…You're worried about me?" Mello sounded flattered, in a mockery sort of way. It was obvious his dark humor was back.

"Not worried about you personally…" Halle tried to think. "It's normal for a human to help someone else if that person is hurt…"

They both pondered if Halle's reason was logical until Halle said,

"Mello, let me see how your wounds are doing,".

Mello quickly put his hood on quickly before turning to face her. "No," he answered.

"Do you want horrible scars?"

"I already have some." He narrowed his one eye that wasn't covered by the fur of his hood.

"Is that why you're covering one side of your face?"

"What do you think." It wasn't a question: it was a cocky dare.

Halle rolled her eyes and walked over to Mello.

"Stay away, Hal!" Mello backed away, almost tripping on the door. Halle reached out and pulled off his hood before he could grab her wrists.

One side of Mello's face was horribly twisted, a huge scar eloping it. Halle's eyes slowly ventured, seeing that the scar went further down than his shirt collar.

It was silent for a couple of minutes, before Mello let go of her wrists and balled his hands into fists. He quietly put his hood back on and looked away.

"I…I gotta go," He pushed past Halle, and before she could stop him, the door was slammed shut.

**#10: Why**

"Bloody hell," Matt whispered when he opened his apartment front door.

"Just shut up," Mello took a defiant bite of chocolate as he stumbled past Matt.

"What happened?" Matt paused his game on the TV as Mello sat down in Matt's armchair.

"Base blew up…" Mello's explanatory answer was. "And apparently I'm a cat" He muttered to himself.

"How many days has it been since it blew up?"

"A day… or two."

"That long? Where were you during this time?"

"Halle Bullock's apartment."

"Bullocks? Why hers?"

Mello couldn't answer that. He just shrugged a "Yes/no/maybe/so?" answer and took another bite out of his chocolate. Matt knew better than to question any further.

**#11: Thought**

Halle took a record 6 showers this morning. Her thoughts were all jumbled up. How did Mello get those awful scars? How come Gevanni is "a mess" without her? Halle never understood people. How they second guessed themselves, how they were so selfish…

Mello, Gevanni, Near, Rester, Mello, Near, Rester, Gevanni.

Mello.

Halle saw a difference in him yesterday. Halle always saw sadness in him; sadness he tried to keep away by being angry all the time.

But Mello this time looked defeated. Like he had given up.

No, that wasn't right. Mello can't give up. He was always striving to be Number One, ("I'm better than that fucking Near,") to solve the Kira case first. But his dreams were obviously destroying him. His new scars proved that.

How come Halle is thinking about that man that threatened her now? She should think about Gevanni.

Gevanni. Did Halle even love Gevanni? That was hard to say. He was a jerk, but he always volunteered to take on a dangerous job for Halle. He was calculating at times, but he never failed to not remember Halle's birthday.

Halle shrugged off her thoughts and walked out the door to go to the SPK headquarters. Near was talking about dissolving the SPK, and she wanted to know more about it.

**#11.5: Beat**

Mello could not get that image out of his head.

**#11.672561: Understand**

"You're in a bad mood today," Mello observed as Halle threw at him a tape recorder recording of the second L.

Halle didn't answer. Why should she? Mello was right, after all, and she didn't want to acknowledge this fact to him. After she saw his face the other day, he outright showed it, taking off his hood. They never talked about the incident, and Mello never thanked her for letting him groan and pass out in her guest bedroom.

It was morning, and it was almost time for her to leave for the SPK headquarters.

"Near's thinking about setting up cameras all over my apartment." Halle said to Mello, sipping her coffee.

"Hmm… this is probably a good time then…" Mello muttered to himself.

_A good time for what?_ Halle wanted to ask. But she was in no mood for talking. She got up and poured the rest of her coffee down the sink.

"Sometimes I wonder why I'm doing this for you and Near." Halle sighed, agitated.

"What do you mean 'and Near'? He's not on my side." Mello retorted. He looked at Halle. "Which side are you on anyway?"

Halle had to roll her eyes. "We talked about this before."

"You didn't really 'talk' when 'we' talked last time 'about this'." Mello emphasized on each phrase. It pissed Halle off even more.

"It doesn't matter. _I_ answered that question before, and I'm not answering it again."

"Your 'answer' was confusing last time."

"Oh? How?"

"Near and I are not on the same side. True, we're both going after Kira, but it's still…" Mello trailed off.

"If you're going after the same goal, then aren't you-"

"-No, we aren't. It's just – complicated. You wouldn't understand, Hal."

_Hal. _That nickname again.

But Halle didn't mind her new nickname as of now. She did mind, however, that Mello told her that she "wouldn't understand".

That comment hurt. It was like Mello didn't want Halle to learn more about the feud between him and Near. But Halle let it drop. She wasn't in the mood to start any fights today.

**#12: Waiting**

Matt woke up and saw that he lost eighteen lives on his video game for falling asleep while playing it.

He looked around him. It was his cluttered apartment, like always. Wrappers on the floor. Forgotten DS games under the couch. Laptops on various surfaces, including the floor.

Matt got up, feeling his back crack. Where was Mello? Usually he would be here already (Matt would have thought "Home" instead of "Here" but Mello never acknowledged Matt's apartment as "home"), sleeping and dreaming about making out with a large chocolate bar…

But Mello wasn't here, and Matt felt a sudden twinge of loneliness. For Mello was Matt's best friend. Sure he sometimes smacks him over the head or shouts at him… OK Mello wasn't exactly the best friend there ever was. But Mello was always there for Matt at Wammy's House. Well, not always, since Mello spent half of his time there in Roger's office for being in trouble.

Matt felt sleepy again. He turned off his game, not bothering to save it since he lost half of his lives, then went into his bedroom and laid down on the bed.

Oh yeah.

Why did Mello go to that Lidner's apartment first before going to Matt's…? It hurt Matt thinking about this, but that Hal (Matt often heard Mello in his sleep saying "Hal.. I didn't call you Hal…") girl's apartment must have been closer to the Mafia's hideout.

_But it wasn't._

This morning Mello said he was going to go to the SPK headquarters to get his photo from Wammy's House back.

"Why would you want to have your photo back after all this time?" Matt had asked Mello. Mello let out a groan.

"Stop being a Matthole. If Near has my picture, than Kira might find my picture since Near is part of an organization formed by the President of the United States, and the United States just bowed down to Kira, so he could get any information he wanted from files. With my picture he would be able to find all information about people I know then he will track someone down to get information out of them on where I am now," Mello explained.

By getting his photo back, he would be safe. So would Hal.

Not that he cared about Hal's safety.

"…Bye Mels." Matt finally said after articulating Mello's reason for getting his photo back.

"Bye." Mello walked to the door, but stopped and turned to Matt.

"Hey Matt…"

"Yeah?" Matt paused his game.

"Don't let anybody hurt you, OK? I know I do sometimes ("Sometimes?" Matt wondered sarcastically) but don't let anybody ever let you down." Mello said.

"O…K?" The door slammed shut. Matt didn't see what was the use for that message. He already knew that Mello was sorry for all the times he had abused Matt… except maybe just now when Mello called Matt a "Matthole"….

But Mello only said that to Matt so that he wouldn't, and be urged to, say that to Hal.

_God Damn it Hal, how come you always look so sad?_


	3. Calm

**#12.5: Years**

"Halle!" Gevanni is following Halle again.

And Halle groaned. They haven't talked since that time that Gevanni pleaded to Halle to get back together with him. She liked it that way.

"What, Stephan?" She turned around to face him. Still, Halle had to treat her ex with respect.

"It's almost the end of the year…"

"It's only November."

"It's _still _almost the end of year, a-and I wanted to know if you w-will spend the New Years with me…?" He was shivering from the cold.

If Halle wasn't so composed, she would have kicked Gevanni and shouted at him "_You never ever ask your ex out if she doesn't like you anymore!"_ But Halle, somewhere deep in her heart, still liked Gevanni.

"Sorry, Gev- Stephan, I'm spending New Years with my family." Halle lied. In truth, she wasn't spending any time with her parents. Her parents never contacted her ever since she left for Washington D.C.. It was to ensure her protection, and also because she was never close to her family.

Gevanni knew this, but he understood her underlying message.

**#13: Marked**

Sometimes it was weird, having Mello at her apartment. He would follow her around everywhere. Especially lately. Halle wanted to know what he was planning. Mello would point a gun at her head even as she was making dinner for no apparent reason.

"Mello put the gun down."

"No."

"Put it down, Mello."

"No."

"Mello! Did you know it was rude to point a gun at someone's head for no reason?"

"I do have a reason."

"Then what is it? If it's your fear of me telling Near that we met, then you have a long way to go."

"…" Mello didn't respond, proving that that was his reason.

"Put the gun down now."

"No."

"I said put it down." Halle sighed.

"NO."

"_Mello!"_

And then Mello would smirk that smirk that eerily sent butterflies in Halle's stomach to flight.

**#14: Stuck In The Middle of It All**

_I hated her. God, I hated her so much. I hated the way she just talked about Near's plan with no emotion in her voice. Like a machine. As if she was Near. She sounded like she didn't care whether Kira or I won. I want her to show emotion, to tell me how she felt about this whole mess._

_And that's why I hated Kira. He created this goddamn mess. He killed the greatest detective in the world, and plunged everybody into an era of darkness. _

_Her and I are just stuck in the middle of it all. That's why I want to kill Kira. It's killing everybody mentally and emotionally. Not because I like her. No, I _hate_ her._

"If you hate her so much, why did you go to her apartment first instead of mine?"

_He's right. Why did I go to her apartment after my base blew up if Matt's was closer?_

_It doesn't matter now. I'm in one piece (On the outside), and all I have is this scar that still hurts and makes one side of my face feel numb._

"Just like your heart."

**#15: Empty**

Halle hasn't seen Mello since he took his photo back from Near.

She wondered if he didn't need her anymore.

Halle did not want to admit it, but she felt a stab of rejection and loneliness at that thought.

**#16: Relief**

"Hal," Near said to Hal one day. "Do you think that this new L is going to let me write Mello's name in the notebook?"

Hal?

Halle decided right then that everybody from Wammy's House is rude, weird, has obsessive-compulsive disorder, and can't remember people's names. Halle wondered if L, the original L that is, was some freak that ate sweets all day, like Mello and sat down on his toes, like Near.

"No, I don't think so, Near." Halle answered, her mind turning to the question. She hoped with all her heart that Near won't seriously consider killing Mello. Waiting for Mello to come at the end of the day was something that Halle looked forward to… almost. Sure he annoyed the hell out of her, but he was company for her.

"Near, it's L again." Gevanni informed him. Near put on his earphones again.

"Near, we can't test the notebook, whatever the reason. We promise you that we'll take full responsibility for protecting it." L said.

"Very well as expected…"

So they are not going to kill Mello! Halle… felt a twinge of happiness and relief inside.

**#16.5: Surprised?**

"I tried everything, Rester… she's not budging." Gevanni sighed and ordered another beer. Sometimes after work, he dragged Rester to a bar and had a few drinks with him.

"Try again, Stephan. Look, I gotta go, my son got in trouble again at school…"

"Fine. Bye." Rester put on his coat and left. Gevanni sighed. He just lost the love of his life for saying something stupid to her, the Kira case isn't going anywhere since Near isn't telling anyone what he thinks…. Gevanni's world was turning upside down.

"Your name is Stephan?"

Gevanni turned around, and sitting next to him was a man wearing a black hoodie.

"Why would you want to know?"

"You just lost your girl? Why?"

No harm in telling a stranger, Gevanni decided. "I called her a… bitch…"

The man chuckled, and Gevanni got angry. "Hey, what's the big idea-"

"Nothing, nothing." The man quickly answered. "Look, Stephan, if you really want your girl back, you have to keep trying,"

"That's what everybody says, but all I do is fail in the end…"

"What the fuck are you doing here then? If you want to show for your failure, go and put a gun to your head." The man laughed darkly.

"You're a prick, you know that?" Gevanni gritted his teeth.

The man really laughed this time, throwing back his head, and Gevanni swore he could see a bit of blonde hair under that hood.

"Ahaha- let's get back to the topic now, Stephan!" The man composed himself. "Anyways, _Stephan, _I bet ya that you would never have the guts to speak to her again!"

"Oh yeah? Try me, you son of a bitch!"

"Ask her out by Friday Night, and you are officially not a loser! Deal?" The man extended a gloved hand.

Gevanni smirked and shook his hand. "Deal."

**#17: Share**

"Hal." Mello suddenly interrupted her one day. She was explaining to him how many people Kira has killed in the past week, and how that was related with the second L's conversations with Near.

"What do you want?" She was bothered that he interrupted her.

"Want… some chocolate?"

"…? S-sure…?"

Mello broke off a piece of chocolate from his bar and gave it to her.

"Mello?"

"What." Now Mello was bothered that Halle interrupted his thoughts.

"I thought you never shared your chocolate with anybody."

"…. There's a first for everything, Hal."

**#18: Statement**

"So… how's that Hal girl doing?" Matt looked up from his game the first time in days, a cigarette poking out of his mouth.

Mello coughed. "She's doing fine. Why?"

"Eeeeeeehhh nothing, just passing the time."

Last night Mello was talking about Halle in his sleep – again. _"Hal.. you're name is not Halle… damn Near… who the hell is Stephan…?". _Matt was starting to get the feeling that Mello paid too much attention to this Hal.

"What's this Hal girl like, Mello?"

"She's cold as hell, she makes good coffee, she likes to pretend people are cats, and she works for idiots."

Matt was confused. Mello acted like he _hated_ Hal but…

Just then he realized something and smirked at Mello.

"What's with that smirk on your face?"

"Oh nothing, Mello…" Matt chuckled.

"No, Matt, seriously… What the fuck?"

"You're just growing up… learning new emotions… I'm just surprised…"

"The hell? I'm older than you, Matt!"

**#19: Go Away Already**

"Please Halle! Just one date!"

"Stephan, I already told you!" Halle groaned.

Gevanni looked desperate. He really wanted her back, like Rester said. Halle felt… pity for him. She wanted to go out with him too, to let go of the stress at work.

But that was the only reason.

"Ok, Stephan, I'll go out with you." Instantly Gevanni's face brightened up. "Thanks, Halle!" He kissed her on the cheek and started to walk quickly away. "Next week, on Thursday!"

"That's…. fine?" Halle answered, but Gevanni was already in his car, driving off like a bullet. And Halle swore she could hear him screaming to the wind, "I TOLD YOU, YOU LOSER! I TOLD YOU I'LL ASK HER OUT!"

She started to laugh hysterically. Gevanni was turning into a sap because of Halle. Men are like that though around her all the time…

Except for Mello.

**#20: None**

Mello decided to get out of Matt's apartment to go walk around New York. He didn't bother wearing sunglasses, even though he usually did, even at night when he went out. He heard a rumor going around about a "Blonde, about 5'6, wanted for acts in the mafia", and he wasn't taking any chances thinking it was fake.

It was a Tuesday night, people were driving home to work, and he only saw a couple of teenagers going on dates or tourists snapping photos of Time Square today.

Seeing all these people, happy and all, made Mello feel depressed. Looking at old people made him feel old. _Where the fuck did my childhood go? _Hell, even seeing the sun go down made him feel sad and old. He went to a newspaper stand, ignoring the looks people gave him from looking at his scar, and bought a newspaper from yesterday. Mello went to a table outside a café and started reading the newspaper.

Of course. The front page story was about the new President accepting Kira. _What an idiot…_

Mello was suddenly struck by fear. Panic attack…? Lately he was confused by all sorts of emotions, and not just around Halle. He needed to get out of here, he needed to…

"Mello? What are you doing here?"

"Just let me in, Hal…" Halle opened the door for Mello and he collapsed on her couch, taking a bite out of his chocolate.

Halle knew not to question Mello by this time. She just sighed and walked back to her bedroom.

'Wait, Hal!" Mello coughed, sitting up abruptly. He never realized how accustomed she had gotten to seeing him there, even if it was not for information.

"What is it now?"

"Can you make me some coffee?"

Halle didn't seem to mind now at the request. "Sure, why not?"

That night, even though they sipped coffee silently, you could see the ghosts of calm smiles on their faces.


	4. Change

**A/N: Short chapter… disappointed with myself.**

**Please review…. As always…. (Readers: mwuhaha never!)**

**#20.5: Transmission**

"Mello, here's your coffee…" Halle yawned as she shuffled out of the kitchen, carrying a coffee mug for Mello. But no answer. She looked where Mello was.

He was sleeping on her couch, his hand covering one side of his face, almost in instinct. Halle smiled and closed her eyes. She always seemed to be smiling now. But she couldn't help it. Mello was this screwed, manipulative, twisted person that liked to toy with people. But when he wasn't being like that, he could actually be bearable.

Even so, Halle went to her bedroom and took an extra blanket. She walked back to her living room and draped the blanket over Mello. He shifted under the covers onto his side, and Halle's expression softened once again.

The next morning Mello woke up, feeling like a truck hit him.

"Huh?" He saw a blanket around him, and a cold cup of coffee on the table in front of him.

_Hal._

He got up quickly and walked silently into her bedroom. She was sleeping of course, and there was a smile on her face.

_Fuck,_ Mello felt a tinge of regret. He remembered asking Halle for another cup after he drank his first last night.

In apology, he put a lock of that sunny hair behind her ear before leaving, but making sure to slam the door extra loud to annoy her.

**#21: Getting Ready**

"Why are you in such a hurry?" Mello gazed at Halle, who slid a cup of coffee at him quickly while she ran into another room. He took a bite out of his chocolate.

"I-I'm getting ready to meet my friend somewhere…" Halle quickly called from her bedroom.

"Who's the friend?" Mello questioned, getting up from his seat at Halle's kitchen table. He pushed his red sunglasses up the bridge of his nose.

"None of your business!" Mello heard the all-familiar phrase as an answer. He could hear some footsteps on Halle's room. What is she up to? Why is she making such a big fuss if she's just meeting "a friend"?

"Is it Stephan?" Mello wondered aloud on purpose. He could almost see Halle glaring at him through the many walls of her apartment. He smirked.

"Again, none of your business!"

"So it is Stephan…" Mello inferred.

"Keep your conclusions to yourself, Mello!"

Mello, Mello, Mello. Sometimes he just annoyed Halle just so that she could say his name. Mello finished his coffee and put the cup in the kitchen sink.

_Hmm Stephan? I thought they already broke up…. _Mello chuckled. He wondered if this was the same Stephan that he saw in a dream once, where he was talking with him. Or was it a dream…? Mello didn't know. Lots of things happened to him when he got lonely and drunk. But still, he was sure it was just a dream.

He started walking towards the door when Halle came out of her bedroom.

_Holy shit. _Halle looked completely different, with her hair up, and she was wearing this blue dress that seemed to shine as she walked.

"You look-" _beautiful. _"-Nice."

Halle rolled her eyes. Mello was being sarcastic, like he always is.

"I'm serious."

"Fine Mello, whatever you say."

**#22: Knew It**

Mello finally found Halle. He followed her out of her apartment ("Mello go away, this is a private meeting between me and my friend." "Private? How private is it?" "He's a very good friend of mine." "I knew it was Stephan!" "No, I didn't say that!" "But I'm always right." "No you're not" "Yes I am" "_Mello!"_) , But soon lost her around the Hard Rock Café among the bustling crowd. Now here she was in an Italian restaurant in Little Italy, eating Pasta with that same man that Mello met in that low grade bar in a dream three nights ago.

Mello smirked, watching them eat together, watching as Gevanni talked to Halle, and how she reluctantly answered. Not so private anymore, now it isn't?

"Mello!" Matt ran up to Mello, who was just standing in the middle of a street.

"What is it?" Mello nearly hissed, his head whipping to Matt. His moment of silence, free of video game death screams and the smell of cigarettes instantly disappeared.

"Oh… nothing. Just saw you here. Why are you here anyway?"

"I… I don't know. I really don't know." Mello came to the realization that he had no reason to follow Halle. After all she was just someone to relay information to him.

_And she wasn't his._

He shrugged this thought off and started following Matt to the Hershey factory.

**#23: Contradiction**

Mello knows he's going to die while trying to uncover Kira.

He knows that when he dies, (_Whenever that is_, Mello thought) people would laugh at his grave for being number 2, always. He knew somewhere, deep inside his soul, that he will never be number 1.

"Hal, would you ever miss me?" Mello asked her one day. She was always doing something; like bathing, cooking, grocery shopping, and sometimes just looking out of her one apartment window in her bedroom. Mello asked her this just to make her _stop._

"What?" She looked at Mello like he had just lost his head. And in a way, he did. He probably was losing his mind (_Maybe even my head, _He thought.).

_Don't look at me like you don't know what the fuck I'm talking about Hal. _Mello gritted his teeth. _My life, your life, Near's life, everybody's life in on the line here. You probably think about your death too all day. Or maybe I'm just a sadist. Either way, there's no way you don't know what I'm asking._

And he knew that she knew what he was asking. He saw it in those smooth brown eyes of hers.

"Would you miss me, if I died, I mean."

Halle suddenly grew serious. A dark cloud covered her eyes, making them muggy and dark.

"What?" He sounded annoyed.

"Maybe I would, Mello." Halle said quietly. "Because even if you're a angst mafia leader with a million guns and chocolate bars, people would still miss you."

"Miss me? How so?" He sipped from his coffee mug, eyebrow raised.

"Well now that you think about it, I don't know if I will miss you." Halle contradicted herself, crossing her arms in defense. She realized she had slipped.

"But you just said-"

"I said _maybe_. But others would miss you. You don't go through life not knowing anybody. Every person that you meet, you've left an impact on. Whether in good or bad way, they will remember and miss you." She looked so bitter right there; Mello felt a twinge in his heart for asking such a question.

"Wow," He chuckles, though, his feelings under wraps. "That's some quote there. Is it original?"

"No," Halle says. "My mother used to say it to me all the time."

"Well, you sound like you don't quite believe it yourself."

"Because," Halle's eyes, while they weren't full of regret, were a pool of sadness. "I never made an impact on her."

**#24: Chocolate**

"May I have some chocolate, Mello?" Hal didn't need to wait for Mello to offer her chocolate anymore.

"Sure, Hal," He smirked and reached into his jacket pocket for a full bar of chocolate.

**#25: Doubt**

Halle didn't know what to think of Mello now. Before, she completely hated him and was waiting for the perfect opportunity to tell Near.

But now what? He still annoyed the hell out of her, but her heart always started to pump loudly in her chest whenever she heard her door slam open and Mello coming in.

Strangely enough, this was the same feeling Halle used to get when she first met Gevanni.

No, it couldn't be what Halle didn't think it was – a crush?

_No way_.

Halle wasn't the type of person to fall in love that quickly. Especially with that annoying man that was younger than her (though this was debatable – he never really revealed his age to her) and about a quarter-inch shorter than her. But this was still a different feeling then that motherly/annoying concern she felt for Near, who always seemed to be on the point of falling somewhere in that head of his. And crushes were for schoolgirls. Not that Halle ever did have a crush on a boy when she was in public school. No, this was a different feeling…

What was this feeling?

**#26: Wondering**

Matt wondered why Mello looked so far away lately. Like he was thinking hard about something.

Ever since that Hal entered his life, he's been like this. And he's been laughing a lot more. Well, laughing a lot more at Matt making stupid mistakes that he's made hundreds of times before.

_Love, maybe? _Matt wondered, smiling as he finally defeated Bowser. The smile disappeared when that stupid toad said, "Our princess is in another castle!

**#27: Conscious**

Night. At night, everybody dreams, preparing for tomorrow. On this night, Halle couldn't sleep. Somehow, Mello's question bothered her. Did he think about death a lot? Did he even take life seriously?

Halle did. She thought about death all the time, how her life and her family's life was on the line. She took life seriously, very seriously.

Why would Mello ask such a question? It was a morbid, desperate question. If anything, it was hinting at Mello's weakness: failure. It was something

And Halle would miss him. She really would. She would miss his smirk, she would miss how he never (as of yet) criticized her cooking, she would miss his constant, on the verge of obsessive compulsive chocolate eating…

She sat up suddenly in her bed. Halle knew what that feeling was now. She would never ever, ever, ever admit it to him or anybody…

That Halle loved Mello.


	5. Regrets

Drabble #28

"So… you forgive me, Hal?" Now Gevanni and everybody else at the SPK was calling Halle 'Hal". She was getting used to it. Almost.

Halle sighed. "Yes. One more chance."

#28.5 Investigation

It was official. Halle and Gevanni was a couple again, at least in Rester's eyes. Now those two were regularly seen having coffee together (Gevanni told Rester that he noticed that Halle had formed an addiction with coffee now for some odd reason or another) just like they used to.

And Halle was looking happier, even if she still has that same serious expression on all the time. Rester could tell.

But Rester could also tell that something was off about Halle. She looked distant, and when Kira was the topic subject (especially in SPK's headquarters) she actually looked scared. Near probably noticed it, as he often asks Halle if she needed a break. But Hal always refused, shaking her head.

_Maybe it's the pressure? _Rester thinks to himself. It could be that rumor that someone close to Halle died because of Kira.

_Maybe she knows someone that she's afraid will get killed by Kira? _Can't be, Kira only kills criminals. How can Halle know a criminal if she was once on the Secret Service? Their job _is _to catch criminals.

_I'm reading too much into this, _Rester thinks now. _She has ever right to be scared of Kira, since she's on the SPK, and is considered Kira's enemy._

Still, Rester made up his mind to look into why Halle was scared. What's bothering her so much?

#29 Moths

Halle's home phone rang while she was watching the news. It was a cool, pleasant November day, and she had all of her windows open in her apartment. She got up and walked into the kitchen, taking her time, knowing whom it was. She picked up the receiver.

"Hello?" Even though she knew it was Mello, she still had to take precautions. If it was Gevanni and she answered the phone by saying "Mello?"… Halle didn't even want to think about it.

"God damn it, Hal, this phone has been ringing forever. What was taking you?" Mello's don't-screw-with-me voice was clearly heard. Halle sighed and, while pressing the phone to her ear, started walking back to where her TV was.

"I was watching the news." Near has them watch the news now for any Kira related killings.

"Did Near figure out anything new?"

"Yes." Halle turned off the TV, no longer wanting to see pictures of deceased criminals. It was also getting rather chilly in her apartment. She was now walking to the nearest window to close it.

"What'd he figure out?"

"He suspects that – AAAAAAHHHHH!" Halle suddenly screamed, almost dropping the phone when she saw a moth crawling on the windowsill.

"Hal? What happened? Hal!"

Halle, thinking quickly, took a rolled up magazine from the kitchen counter and swatted the moth until she was satisfied that the moth was dead. She then shakily said into the receiver, "I… saw a moth. A big… moth." She took a deep breath and quickly shut the window closed.

There was a silence on the other end for a long time as Halle continued to shut all the windows in her apartment. Then, in an almost dejected voice, "…A fucking moth?"

"Yes. A moth. I hate them."

"…A moth? Are you kidding me?"

"No, I'm not! Do not talk to me as if I'm insane! Moths are scary, ugly, and they have been known to pose a threat to humans!"

Halle could hear Mello muttering something like "Crazy woman… I thought she got hurt or something…"

"What?"

"Never mind… what does Near suspect?"

"He suspects that the second L is Kira." Halle stood up, still shaken.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. He's thinking of connecting to the Second L right now."

"That's all?"

"Yes. For now."

"Alright then." There was another long silence.

"Are you alright, Mello?"

"Are you?"

Hal was annoyed by the snippy answer. "…Yes? Why?"

"...How the hell can you be afraid of something as harmless as a moth?"

"When I was little, my sister put a little ugly one in an Easter egg and when it opened, it practically jumped out at me. I have hated Easter egg hunts and moths ever since." That was right – Halle had a sister. She wondered how she was…

"…Hal, you surprise me sometimes…" After Mello said that, he hung up. Halle put the phone down, and walked around her apartment with the rolled up magazine making sure that there were no more moths anywhere. She made a mental note to never, ever, to open windows again – just buy an air conditioner.

Halle sighed again as her cell phone now rang, which was probably Near commanding her to go back to SPK headquarters.

#30: Scope

Mello decided to go out again tonight in the city. Who cares that people would probably recognize him from news reports on TV? Mello was tired of Matt's constant horrified scream whenever he lost at Megaman. That was enough for any regular person who was not used to Matt to kill himself. Mello quickly slammed the door to Matt's apartment before he could hear any more blood curdling moans. It was times like these that he wished he were still at Wammy's house in Winchester, England. Everything was green and secluded there, and Mello still vaguely remembers the safe feeling he unconsciously felt there. Mello, out of habit, started feeling for his rosary beads – then remembered that they're gone now.

Lost in the blast. _Damn. It. _Again – why, God, why? Mello used to count those beads all the time, trying to remember even the sound of his mother's voice. But he always failed.

_Failure. _Why was it that Mello always seemed to fail at whatever he does? Always losing everything that he had – his family, his friends at Wammy's house…

And he was always second to something or someone. He was always second to Near, second to perfection second to that G-

No. Mello must not get depressed again. _Panic attack, remember?_

But he couldn't help it. Maybe Mello should stay away from big crowds, as it was affecting his obviously fragile mental health. He noticed it. He had been thinking of death lately. After all, with Kira out there, you must be prepared. But Mello was thinking about death even when Kira wasn't in his mind.

_Maybe life isn't all that like mother used to tell me… _Mello slipped his sunglasses off to look at the billboards on the tall buildings in Times Square. These flashing signs, in Mello's opinion, were one of the highlights of America. Maybe someday he'll go to Tokyo to see millions of them, advertising beer or teen idols. Screw the natural Grand Canyon; things are more amazing when man makes them.

_What? _How did Mello come to think that? When did he _change?_

He should stop thinking these life-searching thoughts. He should think about Kira, the investigation, and Near.

Near suspects the second "L" (how dare any low-life call himself "L") as being Kira. How did he come up with that theory? In a way it did make sense… how could the Japanese Task Force know where Mello's hideout was? That "Kira told them" excuse was bullshit. No – somebody on the Task Force has to be Kira.

Mello suddenly had an idea. The only way to prove this was to actually send someone from the Japanese Task Force to Near and interrogate him. Mello will work that plan out later. He slipped his sunglasses back on, seeing one of the SPK members.

Rester. He was at a vendor buying two cups of coffee. He was probably on his break.

_Hmm. Weird – that albino actually lets his slaves go outside._

Mello watched as Rester gave the man money and walked with his two cups of coffee to a table, where that other guy Gevanni sat back in his seat.

That guy Gevanni. Mello still remembers that he was that man in the bar. But now it seems to him like it was all a dream. It probably was.

Mello assumed that Gevanni and Rester were friends considering that Rester bought Gevanni coffee, but no – they were arguing now about something. Gevanni kept on shaking his head no while Rester was probably telling him otherwise.

Mello didn't really care what they were arguing about. He shrugged and slowly started to trudge back to Matt's apartment building as he heard police sirens and gunshots firing. Another criminal, no doubt. Unlike Japan, America's crime-rate only lowered less than 60%.

_A natural instinct of man – to sin. _Mello ruefully thought.

#30.5

Before Halle's break was over, she needed to make a call. Not trusting using her cell phone, Halle went to a telephone booth and dialed in her sister's number – at least the number that her sister gave her 4 years ago when she left home.

The phone rang for a while before Halle heard a familiar voice say "Hello?"

"Holly?" Halle breathed.

"Oh mi' God. Halle?" Holly's familiar high squeaky voice sounded happy.

"Yes! How are you?" Halle hasn't talked to her sister in _years_ ever since she joined the government.

"Oh my god, Halle! I missed you so much! Oh… so much has happened! I'm wonderful, you?"

""I'm doing fine. How are Mom and Dad? What's new with you lately?" Halle let go of her serious shell and used her sisterly, girly voice for her younger sister.

"Mom and Dad are fine! They're getting old, but they're doing fine! Oh, and sis, you wouldn't believe it – I got married!"

"_Married?" _Halle did not expect this at all. Her younger sister married? Before her? To whom?

"Yup! I'm married! I tried sending you an invitation, but you're apparently identity proof!" Her sister laughed, but Halle detected a hateful tone to it. This pained her more than anything.

"T-to who?"

"To that guy I used to have a crush on in middle school! Remember him, Halle?"

How could she not? She remembers Holly dotting on and on about that boy – Josh was his name.

"Josh? Him?"

"Yup! I'm just so happy now, Halle, now that you've called me! I thought you died or something!"

_Lie. _Halle probably believed that her sister thought- no wished,- that she was dead, but she knew that she would never be happy about hearing from her.

"Sis, I'm sorry I haven't been able to contact you in a while. I was given orders not to tell anybody about my job or where I was… I'm sorry I missed your wedding."

"It's alright, sis…"

_No. It wasn't all right, was it?_

Halle subconsciously looked at her watch and saw the time.

"Sorry, Sis, but I have to go. My break's over."

"Ok, Halle. It's moth season. Make sure to keep fly-swatters around." Her sister added.

Halle laughed (and cringed) before hanging up.

She breathed a sigh of relief. Her sister – her family was safe.

But her sister was _married _now. How could Halle miss any of this? And her parents are getting old…

Halle quickly walked into the SPK building before tears came into her eyes. They say that the love between two sisters was something that could withstand anything. But Halle was never taught to love hers.

And it wasn't something that she regretted, either.

#31: Prefigured

"You OK, Gev- Stephan?" Halle asked Gevanni as he stepped into the same elevator as her. He looked tired and worried.

"What? Yeah… yeah I'm OK." Gevanni wiped his forehead with the back of his hand. "Halle?"

"Yes?"

Gevanni looked at her for a while with a look of deep concentration before turning away, saying, "Nothing.."

Halle was too tired of work and her call to her sister today that she didn't care whether Gevanni finished his question or not.

Years from now, Halle regrets this. She knows that even if she didn't ask Gevanni to finish his question, the inevitable will happen later, but she can't help but regret this moment.

_Why?_

#32

In the middle of the day, when Halle was working on scanning Kira victim files along with Rester and Gevanni, her phone suddenly rang. "Hal, it's me. Get Near." Halle obediently gave the phone to Near. As Near listened to Mello on the phone, a tall, muscular man was seen on the security cameras entering the building. Near motioned to Halle to let the man in.

They learned that he was Mogi – a member of the Japanese Task Force sent by Mello. Was this the plan that Mello gruffly talked about on the phone with Halle? That maybe Mogi can give information that would prove Near's theory that the second L was Kira?

But Mogi did not speak one word. He didn't even grunt. Near finally gave up on him when Demegawa's Kira troops started parading around the SPK building.

Now Halle was 100% sure that Kira was on the Japanese Task Force. How else would he be able to track down the SPK Headquarters' location without the use of Mogi's cell phone?

Near stood up with his favorite toys in his arms, and commanded Rester to chain Mogi's wrist to his. He gave back Halle her cell phone.

"Come on. Let us get out of here before they burn down the building."

Halle could almost hear Mello wishing in his mind that Near would burn down with the building.


End file.
